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Teachers pay rise to affect economy, Education ministry warns

Teachers outside the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Offices in Mombasa on September 3, 2015. They vowed not to teach until the government implement the pay rise ordered by the High Court. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  Elvis Ondieki

What you need to know:

  • The Teachers Service Commission as an independent commission has its own budget.
  • The ministry said there will be no rescheduling of national examinations that usually start in October.

The Ministry of Education has warned of severe budgetary implications if teachers are granted the Sh17 billion pay rise.

In a statement released on Saturday, the ministry said paying teachers 50-60 per cent salary increment will lead to an increase in taxes, additional borrowing and force the government to slash its expenditure.

According to the ministry, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) budget in the current financial year did not factor in the pay rise and any increase “will sharply raise the price of basic commodities pushing up the cost of living”.

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“The Teachers Service Commission as an independent commission has its own budget and is allocated funds by the Government.

“In the 2015/2016 budget approved by Parliament, TSC was allocated Sh174 billion and the 50-60 per cent salary award was not factored. The TSC therefore has no additional funds to implement the salary increment," the statement read.

Insisting that the strike is illegal, the ministry told teachers to return to class and wait for the courts to solve the current pay dispute.

“The illegality of the strike notwithstanding, the right to strike should not override the right to education of more than 12 million school going children as enshrined in the Constitution,” the ministry stated and urged parents to take their children to school.

The ministry said there will be no rescheduling of national examinations that usually start in October.

On Wednesday, the secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Teachers Mr Wilson Sossion announced that teachers would down their tools till the government effects the pay rise as ordered in June by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

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